Tolu (2002)
by Ormonde Jayne

Tolu will always be softer, smoother, creamier, better matched and more refined than anything it might remind you of. A smell as velvety as a toddler´s nape.

3rd January, 2012.

Yes, yes, yes. Tolu, as in balsam. I'm such a nut about resins. I'm a total head case for them--labdanum, frankincense, oppoponax, pine and sruce--I'm there. I even love Youth Dew. So, here's another resin-heavy scent, this time tolu and labdanum accompanied by well-matched florals (some of my very favorites) and a few heady, camphorous top notes to clean and lift the formula. Best of all, it smells like a high proportion of natural ingredients.

14th January, 2011.

Another one that I tried in London with Linda Pilkington at my side. Yummy blast of juniper and orange blossom ,lovely blended rose ! But oh the frankincense ,tolu ,amber - deep ,powdery . This is one of my favorites . Pretty gorgeous.

5th July, 2010.

This fragrance is teaching me something aobut myself: I covet orchid.
Give me a fragrance with orchid and I'll give you my hard earned cash or a glowing review. This is no exception wiht me: Love it!
I'll chime in with other reviewer's comments on this being a cooler weather fragrance. Yep, Ithis is my experience too.

Now Tonka is a note I"m seeing more and more of in my samples lately, most notably Guerlain's latest Tonka Imperial. Tonka is a sweetish, almondy note and gives the fragrance a gourmand flavor. I am not a gourmand kind of girl, however, and appreciate the earthy amber and frankencense (or whatever it is that steers this back into woody wonderland)

Do you like Black Orchid? Then you'll like htis. If Black Orchid isn't too nauseatingly sweet to you, then this is one you should try. five stars!

16th February, 2010.

Tolu is powdery sweet amber and opoponax composition, seasoned with a potpourri of spices as it ages on the skin. It’s beautiful and well-blended, but for the price it can’t hold a candle to Diptyque’s far more complex Eau Lente, or even Boucheron’s Jaïpur Homme EdP. In short, another very well-made, high quality, but ultimately boring fragrance from Ormonde Jayne.

- December 2009

Revisting Tolu after more than a year, I've relented a little bit. It still fails to excite me on a visceral level, but the sheer quality of its construction speaks volumes.

17th December, 2009. (Last Edited: 22nd March, 2011.)

On first try this was absolutely sickening and necessitated immediate scrubbing. I believe the temperature that day was also in the 90s(F) and extremely high humidity. Now that we're experiencing a rather cool day (under 65), Tolu is perfect. Not the least overpowering now, it's warmth, richness and even powdery-ness is appropriate, welcomed and absolutely lovely. Just remember...not a good choice for warm days, definitely a fall/winter fragrance.

30th October, 2009.